The Long and Winding Road

Fresh water is hard to come by in the western US. There are huge fights between states about who gets what access to fresh water, most especially the Colorado River. Most fresh water is held in lakes, however. Lake Tahoe is one of them. Fortunately, for now at least, no major entity is tapping Tahoe's water and draining it. This was our third visit to this natural wonder, and we enjoyed it once again. Driving to the lake from the west takes you up and up and up into the Sierr

There are 475 wineries in Napa Valley. In four trips there over the years, we have been to about fifteen or so, several of them more than once. Some of the best wines America has to offer are produced here and we enjoy the opportunity to sample a wide variety of them. Pretty much everywhere you drive in Napa Valley there are vinyards on both sides of the road. It is also one of America's great food destinations. Michelin-rated restaurants like The French Laundry, Press, Must

From the beginning of our planning for this trip, we decided that we would fly home the first week of May to be present for the eighth birthday of our granddaughter. She lights up our lives and we love her dearly, so we didn't want to miss it. The break provided a natural transition from the desert and dry weather days of Part Two to our foray into the Sierra Nevada's, Cascades and the Pacific Northwest. We left the car at the San Francisco airport, flew to Dulles airport, st